TEHRAN, Sept 6 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran and China have “good capacities” for environmental cooperation, especially in combating dust and sand storms, said Ali Salajegheh, Iran’s vice president and head of the Department of Environment (DoE).
Salajegheh made the remarks yesterday, at a press conference in the capital Tehran, ahead of the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, which will be held in Tehran on Sept 9 and 10.
The press conference was also attended by Stefan Priesner, the United Nations resident coordinator for Iran.
Salajegheh said, countries, including China, Russia, and Iran’s neighbouring countries, will participate in the upcoming conference.
He said, Iran and China have attached great significance to environmental collaboration under a bilateral 25-year cooperation agreement signed in Mar, 2021.
Lauding China’s experience and work in desert greening, the Iranian official said, regular exchanges are ongoing between climate experts of the two countries, particularly in fighting sand and dust storms.
He said Iran, located in an arid and semi-arid zone, is the final destination of sand and dust storms in the region and, thus, has gained accumulative experience in combating them, which it is ready to share with other countries.
When referring to the steep environmental challenges facing the Earth, the DoE president called for effective environmental management, to alleviate their negative impact on the Earth and the human being.
For his part, Priesner hailed Iran’s constructive role in combatting sand and dust storms, including by hosting the upcoming conference, noting that, Iran and the UN have established cooperation in this area through various activities.
Over the past years, sand and dust storms, mainly originating from neighbouring countries, have hit different parts of Iran, posing risks to its people’s health and lives.– NNN-IRNA
